Cacturne
Scarecrow Pokémon
During the daytime, CACTURNE remains unmoving so that it does not lose any moisture to the harsh desert sun. This POKéMON becomes active at night when the temperature drops.
Base Stats
Type Effectiveness
Abilities
Held Items
Evolution Chain
Moves
Details
Sprites
Competitive
Strategy Overview
Cacturne finds its niche in the PU metagame as a strong offensive Spikes setter. High base offensive stats allow Cacturne to wallbreak, and Water Absorb and Cacturne's ability to use Spikes are the main features that set it apart from Shiftry, which would mostly outclass it otherwise. Water Absorb notably allows Cacturne to come in on passive Water-type Pokemon such as Gastrodon and Lanturn without fearing Scald burns. Also, Cacturne's offensive typing allows it to threaten a lot of opposing Stealth Rock setters such as Regirock, Mudsdale, and Bronzor. However, its subpar defensive stats make Cacturne very vulnerable to any type of super effective hit or any strong attack in general. Cacturne also has an awful base 55 Speed tier, meaning it is outsped by a lot of offensive Pokemon like Aurorus and Abomasnow; this also means it is very reliant on Sucker Punch to hit faster threats. Its inability to hit Skuntank for a lot of damage can also hinder its ability to effectively wallbreak and set up Spikes.
Most Used Moves
Competitive data from Smogon University via data.pkmn.cc